The Darkest Hour
by liptonrm
Summary: Sometimes you can't help but feel small and alone. Set right after the events in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe


Title: The Darkest Time  
Rating: G  
Disclaimer: I very much do not own these characters. They are the creations of C.S. Lewis and are used with the greatest respect.  
Author's Note: Written for hiyacynth who requested _something lovely with Lucy and Mr. Tumnus_. Set right after the events in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Summary: Sometimes you can't help but feel small and alone.

* * *

Lucy couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in a bed that was too big, in a room that was too silent. Cair Paravel was beautiful but she missed the way that her house would creak at night, the tiny sighs and groans and the noise of her parents talking quietly downstairs. She missed hearing Susan's even breaths from the bed across the room. She missed feeling safe and warm and protected.

She drew in a deep, shuddery breath. She turned over and squished her face into her pillow. She could feel the tears pricking at the edges of her eyes and she didn't want to cry. Too many wonderful things had happened for her to feel sad now. She wouldn't want Aslan to think that she wasn't grateful for everything He'd done.

But underneath it all a tiny seed of fear had wedged and she couldn't shake it loose. Things were so much bigger now than they'd ever been before and she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do. What did she know about being a queen, after all?

A soft tapping at her door pulled her out of the depths. She sat up, rubbing at her face and hoping that her eyes weren't traitorously red. "Come in," she called, her voice steadier than she felt.

The door creaked quietly open and Mr. Tumnus slipped in through the crack, two steaming mugs in his hands and a blanket thrown over his shoulder.

"Your majesty," he greeted her with a soft smile. For some reason the title didn't sound strange when he said it. "A little birdie told me you were having trouble sleeping so I thought you might appreciate something warm to drink."

"That sounds lovely." Lucy couldn't help a smile of her own. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat on its edge. She unconsciously kicked her feet against the mattress a few times as Tumnus handed her a mug and wrapped the soft, warm blanket around her shoulders. "Thank you so much Mr. Tumnus," she said, polite as ever.

"You're very welcome," he replied as he sank down into the chair by the side of her bed. "I know how difficult it can be to fall asleep in a new place. I've found that a little warm milk always helps things seem a little less overwhelming."

Lucy took a sip and sighed. It was wonderful, the milk warm and comforting with just enough honey and nutmeg. She felt a tight knot somewhere deep inside begin to unravel. She took another sip and snuggled deeper into her blanket.

He grinned at her over the top of his mug. "I hoped that might help. Though you do have cause for restlessness. It has been a momentous day, after all."

Her memory involuntarily recalled the joyous illumination of the Great Hall and the proud and exultant look on Tumnus's face when he placed the crown on her head. But even in the midst of all of that glory she couldn't help but notice the heavy weight of the crown on her brow and the way Aslan had disappeared over the horizon.

"Only-" she frowned and stared into her mug. "I'm so afraid that I won't be a good queen. That I'll let everyone down."

"Oh, my dear," Tumnus breathed. "You have nothing to worry about. Don't you know that you saved me before you even knew what Narnia was? You saved us all. You need only be yourself and you will never fail us."

"Truly?" Lucy asked, her heart in her eyes.

"Truly." His tone was so certain that she could do nothing but believe him.

She took another sip. The warmth slowly spread throughout her entire body. Her head nodded and her eyes blinked. All of a sudden she felt so sleepy.

As if in a dream she felt the mug leave her hands. She laid down and the blankets were carefully tucked around her.

A soft kiss was gently placed on her forehead. "Sleep well, dearest Lucy. We will still be here when you awaken." And with that she drifted off into dreams.


End file.
